Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-01-28
What Makes d True Girl. &

What Makes q True Girl.
,Lond lon Queen: A true grill How
much sembraced in those three words,
and what does constitute q true girl?
We must not merely understand by a
true girl one who is truthful, but one
who endeavors, under whatever cir
s'nlmstances she may be placed, TO do
her duty, There is no happiness in
this life without duty. A sense OF du-
ty always pl1rsues us; it is omnipres-
snt, like the deity. +. *s=.ss .y
The chief characteristic OF a. Girl
should DO truth. 'sOf all the duties,
the love OF truth, with faith and con
stancy in it, ranks first and highest.
Truth is God. TO love God and to
love truth are one and the same. It
ls this quality more than any other
that commands the esteem and re-
spect and secures the confidence OF
others.
To the true girl in all her relations,
as daughter, sister, friend, in all her
actions, in all her words, faithfulness
will be the first consideration. !. Faith
is the root of all good works, and it is
a fruitful parent of all other graces.
"Iler word must be her bono. through
lite" A true girl will not make a
promise and break it, nor say one
thing and mean another, but will be
true in word and deed. A broken
promise is an untruth told. The ex-
cellent advice given by Polonius to
Laertes III "Hamlet' may we'll be fol-
lowed out by girls;
This above ALTO thine one self be true:
And it must follow as the night the day
Thou canstnotthen befalse to any man.
The next attributes which hold a
place in the character of q girl are
patience and gentleness-necessary
qualities in every girls life. Patience
aids us in distinguishing envy, over.
coming anger, and crushing pride.
How much good may be done and Joy
brought by q gentle word or look!
Truly, "a soft answer turneth away
wrath" Girls are not called upon to
do great things, except in rare instan-
ces, but the everyday trials OF life in
the ordinary and appointed exercise
of the Christian graces afford ample
scope for the practice of that virtue
OF mankind which has become proven
bal. The best exercises OF patience
and self-denial, and the better because
not chosen by ourselves, are those in
which we have to bear with the fail
ings Of those about us; to endure neg.
lect when we feel that we deserved at
tention, and ingratitude when we ex-
pected thanks;to bear with disappoint-
ments in our expectations, with in
terruptions in our retirement, with
folly, intrusion, disturbance--in short
whatever opposes our will, contra
diets our humor.
Earnestness ranks next to holding
q high place in a. girls character, for
do not earnestness and simplicity car
ry all before them? Charles Dickens
tells us that there is no substitute for
thorough-going, ardent, and sincere
earnestness. Let us bear this in mind.
and what ever we have to accomplish,
let us be earnest. Hand in hand with
earnestness goes the Roman virtue
perseverance, which has perhaps
been the radical principle Of every
truly great character. Perseverance,,
working in the right direction, grows
with time, and when steadily practic-
ed, even by the most humble, will
rarely fail OF its reward. Trusting in
the help of others is OF comparatively
little use. The grandest Inventions
have been completed by the diligent
pursuit OF perseverance. The great
success of this virtue is seen in the
proyerb IA falling drop at last will
cave stone."'
We are told by great author that
he considers g. beautiful form better
than O beautiful face, and beautiful
behavior better than beautiful form.
To have true beauty a girl must have
a tender regard for the old and young,
for the poor and suffering; must be
sensible and pure in her thoughts,
chaste in her conversation, sympa-
thetic to those in adversely, and have
an affable and even dispositions; and,
above all, humbleness Of soul.
The true Girl is not complete with
out the blessing of the gift Of industry.
Girls instilled with habits of industry
are more safely provided for than if
they had q fortune given them. for
there is no art or science too difficult
for industry to attain.
.'..Sloth naketh all things difficult,
but industry all things easy" Indus.
try qualities us in all our various
classes for the highest and lowest en-
ployments; it inspires us with fresh
vigor in the performance of social
and religious duties and it gives a
wider scope for the display of our
talents. The habit; of constant useful
occupation is as ESSENTIAL for the hap.
piness and ell-being Of woman as Of
man. The happiness ofthe body lies
in health, that OF the mind in knowl-
edge. Without occupation women
are apt to sink int o state OF listless
ennui and uselessness, accompanied by
sick headache and attacks of "nerves. :"
Every girl ought to be q good
needlewoman, and the foundation for
this has to be laid in school in. the
girl Of seven years. II we followed in
che steps Of the Germans in this re-
spect, teaching children all kinds OF
work, it would no doubt prove more
beneficial to domestic happiness. The
education ofwomen has made great
strides in the last few years, and the
question of higher education still
holds the prominent place it deserves.
Are we content to be as we are2 No;
let US put forth our strength in doing
our utmost to elevate our stand
ard Of r,erfnctifain and 3 at rivo nna
and al Of us. to become 'strue
girls. We need not live grand lives,
but good and useful ones, doing the
work which falls to our lot most faith.
fully and conscientiously, for, as
George Eliot tells Us. The growing
good 81 the world IS partly dependent
on unhist oric acts, and that things
40 not 80 illwith you and me as they
might have been, is hall owing to the
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